


but if you had to choose

by realbutnotsopure



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M, ME - Freeform, Mass Effect 1, ash kaidan and shep banter, guess who loves both ashley and kaidan?, i just finished the trilogy and i am now in denial, no spoilers but hints of them, takes place during mass effect 1
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-23
Updated: 2017-02-23
Packaged: 2018-09-26 12:43:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9897113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/realbutnotsopure/pseuds/realbutnotsopure
Summary: A moment between the Eden Prime trio while they wait for the Mako to be repaired.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I got so upset while playing the final scene that my stomach hurt and I couldn't sleep until 6'o clock in the morning. This is my way of dealing with it.

The Mako was in for repair and Shepard was pacing outside the mechanic’s.

“You’d think someone close to her got hurt,” Ashley muttered under her breath to Kaidan as they sat on a bench, waiting. The commander had refused to return to the Normandy until the vehicle was fixed, despite the mechanic’s warnings that it would take a while. Ashley kept rolling her shoulder as Shepard kept walking from place to place.

“You okay?” Kaidan asked softly, as Ashley’s shoulder popped and she grimaced. Shepard’s attention snapped to them.

“Fine. _I’m fine_ ,” Ashley assured when Shepard opened her mouth. “It takes more than your driving to hurt me, Commander. Almost.”

Shepard’s mouth snapped closed and she sent Ashley a look. Kaidan chuckled, but stopped when Shepard’s gaze shifted to him. She looked stern, but he could see the amusement hiding underneath. She turned to Ashley again.

“Then I take it your shoulder is not a problem, soldier?”

“Not at all, ma’am.”

Shepard did her almost-smiling thing before turning back to the mechanic door with a slight frown upon her face. She continued her pacing. Kaidan could see Ashley rolling her eyes.

“And you, Kaidan?”

Shepard hadn’t turned when addressing him but even the sound of her voice flustered him. Or maybe it was the fact that Ashley at once was smirking knowingly at him.

“Ma’am?”

She turned her head to face him. “Are you okay?”

His mind desperately searched for a witty answer, or a flirty reply, but he ended up stuttering, “What? Uh. Yes”

Her almost-smile thing was looking more like a real smile this time. He grinned back at her and she turned away.

“Commander, with all due respect...” Ashley began.

“Meaning ‘kiss my ass’?” Shepard asked.

Ashley ignored her, “Why am I ‘soldier’ but Kaidan is ‘Kaidan’.”

“That’s because she likes me more,” Kaidan replied, grinning at Ashley. They both turned to Shepard who was looking at them, unimpressed.

“No comment.”

“She likes one part of you more, I bet,” Ashley mumbled under her breath, when Shepard turned away, rolling her left shoulder.

“I didn’t hear that,” Shepard stated, quite loudly, but there was amusement in her voice. “And go get your shoulder looked at, _Ashley_. Can’t have my best soldier hurt, can I?”

Ashley grinned at the Commander before standing up and saluting her. She winked at Kaidan before leaving him and Shepard there. Alone. Suddenly Kaidan felt nervous. Shepard took Ashley’s place on the bench. She sighed.

“Kaidan-”

“It’s alright, Commander. You only said that to Ashley so she wouldn’t be upset. I know I’m your favorite.”

She chuckled, “Well, let’s hope I never have to choose between the two of you.”

There was a beat in which Kaidan felt lost, both content with only sitting there with Shepard, but also feeling the need to say something. Anything. The truth about how he felt. But the feeling faded as the mechanic shouted Shepard’s name and told her that the Mako was fixed. She had jumped up and was entering the store by the time Kaidan had even registered that she’d gone. By the time he entered she had already paid and signed the paperwork. She was now peering into the window on the newly fixed Mako.

“Ready to return, Commander?”

She gave him a nod, before opening the door and bending inside, giving a suddenly warm and flustered Kaidan quite the view, before standing up and turning, a gun in her hand. “I forgot my gun. Honestly. And I call myself a commander.”

“So the reason we spent the last hours here waiting, was so that you could get your gun.”

“It’s a good gun, Lieutenant,” she said, inspecting said weapon closely. “Wouldn’t want it to get lost. And besides, we might need it soon.”

“Considering the trouble you usually get us all in, we probably will.”

“ _Ha-ha_. You may recall that I usually get us all out of it too.”

“Usually.”

“If you’re referring to the time I think you are referring to, Lieutenant, I’ll have you know that I didn’t have this gun that time. If I had, then it would’ve gotten smoothly.”

“Of course, ma’am.”

She sent him a look. “Don’t worry, Kaidan. With this gun, I’ll get you all on and off Virmire safely.”

“You’re Commander Shepard. I was never worried.”

  
She smiled.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed<33
> 
> I know I'm so late, both with this fic this month, and to this fandom. I have no regrets though bc I love Mass Effect so much and it makes me so happy.
> 
> Also I'm sorry for the Virmire mention, but you could probably see it coming.
> 
> This was very nice to write though, let me know what you think!


End file.
